MOSCOW -- The Aum Supreme Truth cult continues to be active in Russia, it has been revealed in the trial of a Russian executive of Aum being held in southern Russia. According to leading Russian newspaper Kommersant and other sources, Russian investigative authorities have said that the executive sent more than 88.7 million rubles (about 135 million yen) to Japanese executives from 2012 to 2016.
The Russian executive in the trial is Mikhail Ustyantsev, in his late 40s. Ustyantsev was arrested in May 2018 in southern Russia while receiving money from Aum followers. He is facing charges that include terrorist activity. The trial began at a military court in southern Russia on Tuesday, and people related were questioned on Thursday.
In Russia, Aum was designated as a terrorist organization in 2016. According to investigations by the Investigation Committee of the Russian Federation, Ustyantsev played a central role in Aum's Russian division. He is believed to have made an action plan for collecting money and kept a notebook about the division that listed about 2,800 followers.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
